1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sterile plastics bags for use in handling clinical samples and the like and, more particularly, to a sterile plastic bag for holding samples in blenders used in laboratories, in hospitals, in the food industry, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various bags have been developed for the sterile transportation and/or storage of samples in the medical and food fields, such as human fluid samples, milk, water in environmental studies, etc. Such plastic bags may include near an open end thereof a wire or metal strip which is mounted transversely across the bag with ends extending past the side edges of the bag. Once the bag has been filled with the sample to be transported/stored, the open end is folded at least once over the bag about the wire or metal strip so as to close the open end and the ends of the wire or metal strip are then folded at the side edges of the bag and brought around so as to extend inwardly behind the bag. This safely and effectively encloses the sample in the plastic bag.
In other applications, sterile plastic bags are required for use in electro-mechanical equipment or machines for various purposes. For instance, samples must often be mixed such in laboratories, in hospitals and in the food industry, and this is carried out by way of blenders which are adapted to receive therein the sterile plastic bag into which the sample to be mixed has been introduced.
Obviously, the sterility of the bags used in such blenders is of utmost importance in order to prevent the sample from being contaminated. The conventional bags used with the blenders are simple plastic two-ply bags having a lower end thereof closed by heat sealing and both side edges thereof closed either by heat sealing or integrally if the bag was made from an elongated tubular sleeve transversally cut so that its longitudinal length corresponds to the height of the intended bag, that is to the length of the bag's side edges. Previously, the sterility of these bags was ensured by packaging the in the bags in a sterile closed pouch. On the other hand, once the pouch's seal was broken so that one or more bags could be retrieved for use in the blenders, the integrity of the sterility of the remaining bags in the pouch was compromised to a point that, depending on the bags'applications, the remaining bags were often thrown away to prevent the subsequent use of potentially non sterile bags.